Your best advice in how to handle your Marriott timeshare

[geka]

I have had my timeshare for two years now and I always feel like I am floundering in regard to setting vacations up with it. How do you all track it and make sure you are getting the best bang for all the bucks you pay to use it?

I own a resale 3 bedroom lockout platinum at Grande Vista. It almost seems that after I pay the maintenance fee and all the other fees that I would be better off not having a timeshare and using that money to pay outright for a stay at these places. Seems there are some good deals out there. Am I off base here? Would love to hear some encouraging words. Thanks.

 

[gpgri285]

the best advice i can give you is to get your rep to explain what you have. if he/she can't explain it, then call your vacation ownership advisor or marriott owner services @ 1-800-414-6330 and ask them how to use it.

my own advice would be to lock-off your unit, when you call onwer services to do this, request the busiest weeks to trade. in the platinum season at orlando, this would be 4th of july, easter, christmas, new years, presidents week etc. pick one or 2 of these weeks and deposit both weeks in interval and use interval's web site to trade.
you have a great trade. if you don't want to come back to GV then deposit it and use it in flex change. you can then travel anywhere in the 59 day window turning your 1 bedroom into a 2 or 3 bedroom through interval.
who is your sales rep?
i work for marriott vacation club myself.

 

[Enrico]

You are using the Internet now to get advice, use it also to search & book your timeshare. We have a two bedroom lockoff Grande Vista platinum and lock it off every year, deposit the weeks at II. On a regular basis I search for exchanges to see what is available....3-6 months out is the timeframe I work with, but there are good places to travel to on shorter notice. We've made some incredible trades over the years, and searching becomes part of the fun of owning.

 

[Dave M]

In my view the "best bang for all the bucks" involves making choices and doing careful planning.

To maximize my utilization, I need to make choices years (yes, years) in advance. Assuming I plan to exchange in some years and use my home resort week(s) in other years, developing a long-range tentative schedule helps me to make those choices, even though I might change the schedule as time passes. If I expect to trade the use of a week for Marriott Rewards points, that adds to the choices that I need to make.

Careful planning starts with those choices, but is more oriented to timing. If I want to exchange into Maui at a peak time, I need to have my exchange request into II at least 13 months in advance, preferably more, to maximize my chance of success. That means that I need to identify, reserve and deposit a week that will allow me to do that. I also need to take into account the possibility of getting an AC and whether the need to deposit a particular week before I am likely to be offered an AC for that week might suggest depositing a different week (perhaps a week for a different year!) so that I can get my dream exchange and get an AC.

Thus, my calendar includes a variety of dates related to when I have to decide among some of the above choices, when to call Marriott to reserve my week, when to make choices on using an AC, etc.

How does one start? I suggest using a simple sheet of paper where you list the next five years and write down your initial thoughts about how you might use your timeshare for each of those next five years. Then put the paper away for a week or so and dream about some of those destinations and other possible choices. Then revisit the paper. After modifying it a few times, then add some action steps along the lines of what I have posted here so that you develop a formal plan (with dates for taking action) - subject to being changed as many times as you want in the months and years ahead.

 

[applegirl]

Start reading these forums a lot. Until I found TUG we were clueless on using out t/s. Now, we feel totally in charge and have already reaped benefits from learining from this website and community.

Also, on years you want to trade, be sure to book a highly desirable week as suggested above. You need to call at the VERY earliest to book these high demand weeks. They often go in the first few minutes of availability. So you have to be on top of it!

Most important, have fun.

 

[thinze3]

You have accomplished the first step - asking Tug members!!

Grande Vista is indeed a location that can be rented at a relatively inexpensive rate, but the locations you can trade into may be different. In my opinion you need to discard this thought.

Like Dave mentioned, plan ahead as far as is feasible for your family. I have been planning my 2009 return to Hawaii since I left there in July '07. I have decided that I want to go to Maui in lieu of my home resort in Kauai. I am now beginning to think about a "second honeymoon" for me and my wife in 2010. Again, I am thinking well ahead.

Your 3BR at Grand Vista can be used to get you into a 2BR prime time week in Hawaii or Aruba. If you lock it off, you may have a bit more trouble getting prime time but could probably get 1BR very easily. All of this can be done through Interval International. Have you joined II yet??

From what we are seeing now, there is a possibility that not too many AC's are going to be offered from II this year in a timely enough manner to allow you to trade into the best destinations. If II offers you an AC for your deposit at 4-6 months before arrival, it is possible that your trading power will be compromised. You must weigh this carefully verses where you want to trade in to. Remember the suggestion above about requesting 12-13 months ahead?

Call your Vacation Ownership Advisor (VOA), as suggested above. If you do not have one, call Owner Services and ask for one to be assigned to you. This advisor can give you much information about your different options. She/he can also book Marriott stays to customize your vacation.

Think right now about where you would like to go in 2009 and come back here to Tug and we can help you get there!!

 

[urple2]

I have had my timeshare for two years now and I always feel like I am floundering in regard to setting vacations up with it. How do you all track it and make sure you are getting the best bang for all the bucks you pay to use it?

I own a resale 3 bedroom lockout platinum at Grande Vista. It almost seems that after I pay the maintenance fee and all the other fees that I would be better off not having a timeshare and using that money to pay outright for a stay at these places. Seems there are some good deals out there. Am I off base here? Would love to hear some encouraging words. Thanks.

I'm a rookie in the Marriott world... Maybe you just don't like or can't plan out long term for reasons...??? As others suggested then, deposit your unit,picking the best weeks available,maybe lock-off to get additional weeks.

My deed/usage for 08 just recently came through and I deposited in Interval, splitting my lock-off for the best weeks i could find . I'm like a kid in a candy store, viewing all the exchanges available to me, both short term ( flexchange ) and much further out.

The info provided by these great people on here is fantastic !

To me, 2 weeks for 900 bucks and an exchange fee is a bargain!

Good luck and go on a vacation...